Weekend Box Office: Split Tops Third Weekend in a Row, Rings, Space Between Us Disappoint

Even though a lot of people are interested in the Super Bowl this weekend, traditionally the football main event doesn't hamper the box office that much. In years past there have been plenty of surprising results but 2017 didn't exactly blow up the big screen during the big game. It turns out audiences weren't that interested in returning to The Ring franchise and even less interested in giving their time to The Space Between Us. Lucky for us, M. Night Shyamalan continues to find success with Split, while the future Oscar hopefuls also showing longevity. The box office same in at $81.1 million, just under the $82 million that Super Bowl weekend drew last year, but it could wind up topping that mark once actuals are released on Monday.

1) SPLIT

Mark it three, dude. Split delivered another box office win, dipping 43.2% and coming in ahead of that other horror movie for a $14.58 million weekend and new $98.7 million total. This joins The Sixth Sense as the only other M. Night Shyamalan film to take the box office crown for three weeks in a row and it will soon become his fifth $100 million-grossing film. Split has enjoyed a fantastic run at the box office - offering up something different (something franchise films just can't figure out) while still delivering on that twist. It has earned $142.7 million worldwide - and all this on a mere $9 million budget. If it can hold up against bigger competition these next few weeks, it will likely become the third highest-grossing film in Shyamalan's career - and let's hope this time he doesn't squander his re-emerging talent.

2) RINGS

I was right in that Split and Rings delivered the rare one-two horror punch at the box office, but I was also right in that the Rings franchise has also run its course. Joining Resident Evil and Underworld, Rings delivered the worst opening in its respective franchise with a $13 million opening. It also had a terrible time with critics, scoring an awful 5% on Rotten Tomatoes while audiences weren't much kinder, awarding it a "C-" Cinemascore. Now, to be honest, that is in line with many other horror films, but Rings opened below The Bye-Bye Man ($13.5 million) and isn't likely to recover. Women made up 54% the audience with 67% came in under 25. It looks like Split was a factor in taking away some of the audience that may have otherwise watched Rings. The $25 million film has already earned $28 million worldwide, but its domestic efforts are likely to stall out in the $25-$30 million range, meaning this may make money, but it's not going to be very much. Perhaps this is a sign that studios should take more chances on original ideas rather than dredging up the past (cough Blair Witch cough) but I'm guessing we'll be seeing a lot more sequels and remakes before more movies like Split.

3) A DOG'S PURPOSE

It turns out that, gasp!, the footage that showed a dog allegedly being abuse don the set of A Dog's Purpose was edited in such a way to blatantly false and the American Humane association found no abuse in its investigation. Too bad the damage was already done and we may never know how this feel-good film would have wound up without all the controversy surrounding it. In any case, the film dipped 40.6% in its second weekend, earning $10.8 million for a new total of $33 million. The good news is that the $22 million film will make enough money to probably wind up in the black, but it is also obvious that the now-proven fake footage did real damage to the film. It turns out fake news and alternative facts aren't just for politics any more! This one could still top $50 million, but it will be a close one.

4) HIDDEN FIGURES

The Oscar hopeful continued to lead the pack, and had the best hold out of any film in the top 10, dipping just 27.9%, bringing in $10.1 million to come in just shy of $120 million with $119.4 million. While the film may have been overshadowed by La La Land at most awards shows, it continues to resonate with audiences as it will soon cross that $125 million mark. We'll see if all that love is enough for the film to eventually hit $150 million.

5) LA LA LAND

Speaking of Oscar hopefuls, the front-running film to take in pretty much every award also had a good hold, dropping 39.1% as it took in $7.45 million as it also approached the $120 million mark, coming in just behind Hidden Figures with $118.3 million. La La Land is also a global sensation with a robust $268 million worldwide. I predict both films will play well as the Oscars approach and wouldn't be surprised if they get a post-Oscar pop.

Outside the top five: The other big wide release, The Space Between Us, didn't find much love with audiences. The teen-centric romantic drama earned a disappointing $3.2 million (9th place) opening with most estimates having it at $8-$10 million. While audiences seemed to like it well enough, with an "A-" Cinemascore, critics hammered it with a mere 33% showing on Rotten Tomatoes. Still, I don't see this one sticking around for any length of time as it will likely end its run with under $10 million total. Given its $30 million budget, this one may hurt.

Lion, another Oscar contender that has been gaining steam lately, expanded into 830 theaters, raising its count to 1405 and took a 70.6% increase and jumped in to the top ten with an 8th-place $4 million showing. The film has earned $24.7 million after 11 weeks in mostly limited releases. While Hidden Figures and La La Land may be getting the most attention, this Lion is roaring back.

Next week brings us the continuing ass-kicking adventures of John Wick (Chapter Two), the continuing ass-spanking adventures of Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele in Fifty Shades Darker and the funny-ass adventures of LEGO Batman in... The Lego Batman Movie. Methinks Split will finally have to give up his throne, but it will be interesting to see whether violence, sex or, you know, the kids, win out.